How to Help Children Grieve

Children grieve. When we see children in pain, it’s natural to do everything we can to help make them feel better. We might even attempt to fill their time with endless distractions so they’ll have fewer opportunities to think about their loved one who died. But doing so undermines their grieving process. Children’s grief deserves validation and support. In this blog post, we offer three ways to help children along their grief journey. 

Offer an Age-Appropriate Explanation

When talking about death, use simple, straightforward, age-appropriate language. Our free downloadable guide on children’s grief notes, “It is important to use the right words to talk about the death, like: ‘Mom died from cancer.’ Avoid euphemisms such as ‘passed away’ or ‘went to sleep,’ as they can confuse children. This is key so that children do not associate the death with anything other than the reality of how it occurred.” Always be honest in your approach. 

Find Ways to Remember Your Loved One Together

Taking the time to do an activity while talking about the person who died is especially soothing for children. Consider cooking their favorite recipe together or listening to their favorite songs. Small moments offer opportunities to share memories and allow your child to see that you’re missing their loved one, too.

Read Grief-Specific Books

Books can help even the youngest readers process grief and loss. Reading books together can help children better understand their feelings and help them recognize that they’re not alone in navigating their experiences. We’ve curated a full list of children’s grief books here.

Remember that your job isn’t to remove grief from your child’s life. You can’t. Your job is simply to honor your child’s feelings and offer love, support, and understanding. We encourage you to share your own ideas and experiences in our For Grief Facebook Community.